


Adapting

by pigeon130



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery, plo koon loves his kids, this is just me projecting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28622193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pigeon130/pseuds/pigeon130
Summary: The General bowed his head and paused before signing,’ It is ok. And wolf helped me paint them grey.Halo stifled a laugh at his response. At the other man’s questioning look, they elaborated.“You used the sign for the animal W-O-L-F. Not W-O-L-F-F-E.”
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	Adapting

**Author's Note:**

> !! again i'm mainly posting this to share with my friends lol. also i write this as a HoH person, and since my parents never learned asl for me, i can and will project onto my ocs. anyways enjoy lmao

The first thing Halo noticed as they were dragged to consciousness was the fuzzy feeling in their head. Their ears and head felt as if someone had stuffed them with cotton. Mouth dry, and head pounding, they pried their eyes open and immediately shut them at the bright lights that assaulted them. Slowly, their senses started to fade back and they recognised the familiar smell of harsh antibiotic wash that accompanied bacta. Trying again to open their eyes, Halo realised what the harsh lights and smell of bacta meant. It all came flooding back as they put the pieces together. The battle, the dying, General Plo shouting their direction, and the explosion.

With a groan, Halo tried to sit up but was stopped by a familiar body entering their field of vision and gently helping them sit against the back of the bed. Wolffe’s face appeared as he sat down next to the injured medic. His brows were furrowed in concern as his mouth moved, but Halo realised with a sinking feeling in their stomach, that there was no noise coming out. 

“Wolffe. Wolffe, I-I can’t hear you, kriff, I can’t hear you.” 

Even their voice was silenced and felt strange in their mouth as they spoke. It was like being underwater. They could tell they were forming the words and making them with their throat and mouth, but they couldn’t hear it themselves. 

The older clone’s eyes darkened and he put a hand on the shaking vod’s shoulder reassuringly before turning around abruptly. For a moment, Halo thought that he was leaving. He didn’t want to deal with them and he was leaving. Their fears were squashed when he turned back around with a datapad in his hands. With quick fingers and a focused look, he typed away on the pad and handed it to Halo. 

‘You’re okay. You have a concussion and damage to your head from the explosion. We will figure this out, kih'vod.‘

Heart pounding, Halo passed the datapad back to Wolffe. Talking felt weird but it was instinct and the words poured out.   
“Wolffe, what if we can’t fix this? What if I’m broken? They’re gonna decommission me. I can’t hear!” 

With a sympathetic look on his face, Wolffe typed on the pad again before returning it to Halo. 

‘Don’t forget who you’re talking to. The General won’t let you get decommissioned. And neither will I if I have any say in the matter.’ 

After Halo read the typed out words, Wolffe gestured to his face and the large scar and prosthetic eye. Immediately, Halo let out a little of the tension they were holding in at the realization that Wolffe understood what they were going through. 

At the thought of General Plo though, Halo felt their chest tighten again,” What are we going to do then? I can’t serve the General if I can’t hear.” 

Just like before, Wolffe’s fingers typed quickly away at the pad again and showed it to Halo. 

‘I’m sure we can figure something out. General Plo knows people and we can get you some custom hearing aids made. Plus, we already know battle signs, I’m sure Basic Sign Language isn’t too much different.’ 

“I- thank you, Wolffe.” 

Feeling rattled, Halo leaned back against the bed and scrubbed a hand over their face. It was strange not being able to hear the noise it made when his hand ran through their hair. So many things would be strange now. They were interrupted from thinking about what they couldn’t hear by Wolffe tapping their arm and pointing to the outstretched datapad. 

‘Get some rest, I’m gonna go check on the other injured. I’ll be back, don’t worry.’ 

Halo closed their eyes, their head pounding from the residual damage. They sunk further down in the bed and rolled over to their side. Before they could drift back to sleep, they felt Wolffe’s surprisingly gentle hand pull a thin, standard-issue blanket over their still trembling body. 

\-----------------------------

A few days later, sitting on their bunk in the barracks, Halo was going over a book about Basic Sign Language that Wolffe had somehow procured for them. The motion of the door to the room drew their eyes and they sat up straighter at the sight of General Plo entering the room. They were thankful for the purposeful motion so they didn’t get startled. The other vod had taken on that habit to not spook them since they couldn’t hear footsteps now. 

‘Hello H-A-L-O. How are you?’ The General’s clawed hands slowly signed out the words, followed by a tilt of his head. 

“I- General,” Halo stuttered, momentarily stunned,” you learned sign language for me?” 

‘I’m learning.’ The Kel Dor paused, clearly thinking, ‘I’m not very good at it now. But I want to help you.’ 

At that statement, Halo felt tears prickled at the corners of their eyes. They were originally so worried about getting decommissioned and being useless and here was their General going out of his way to learn a new form of communication to be able to talk to them. 

‘Thank you, General P-L-O. It means a lot to me.’

The area around Plo’s mask crinkled in the way that Halo had come to learn meant he was smiling. 

Haltingly, he signed,’ I have a gift for you.’ 

His hands reached into the depths of his robes and pulled out a small container. With another smile, he handed it towards Halo. 

Slowly, Halo unhooked the hinge holding the container closed and opened it to reveal a pair of hearing aids. On a second glance, they noticed that they were custom painted the familiar 104th grey that adorned all of their armor. With shaking hands, they looped them over their ears and pushed them into place. 

Immediately, the sound came rushing back. It was different, but it was sound! Everything sounded almost tinny, not like it had before they had lost their hearing. They could hear the clanking of the ship, the footsteps of other vod in the halls outside the barracks, and most importantly, the General’s voice.

“Do they work?” 

Halo instinctually winced at the onslaught of noises but grinned still at the fact that they could hear their General’s voice again. 

“I think so?” Hearing their voice for the first time in days was bizarre and disorienting. It sounded off, but it was better than nothing at the moment. 

Plo smiled again before the hearing aids made a loud beeping noise and they jumped, cupping their hands around their ears. Everything was so loud and overwhelming. After days of not being able to hear anything, the sound was too much. Without thinking, they reached up and took them out of their ears. 

With an apologetic look they glanced back up at Plo,” I’m sorry, it was overwhelming. I think I just need to get used to them. But thank you, I appreciate it.” 

The General bowed his head and paused before signing,’ It is ok. And wolf helped me paint them grey.’

Halo stifled a laugh at his response. At the other man’s questioning look, they elaborated.

“You used the sign for the animal W-O-L-F. Not W-O-L-F-F-E.” 

Smiling wider, Plo laughed. A noise that Halo can remember being a rasping noise that used to worry them, but they soon realised was the Kel Dor’s way of laughing with the mask. 

Hesitantly, Halo put the hearing aids back into his ears and grinned back at their General before sobering up. 

“Thank you again,” They began,” For not having me decommissioned. I promise I can still perform my duty and serve the battalion.” 

General Plo placed a clawed hand on Halo’s shoulder,” I would never let anything happen to you or any of the others. And I am encouraging the rest of the battalion to learn sign language while I learn as well. Now please get some rest, you still have a concussion.” 

With that and a gentle squeeze to their shoulder, Plo left the room. Halo sat there, the book of Basic Sign Language sat next to them, and custom made hearing aids around their ears, with a dumbfounded grin on their face. They couldn’t wait to tell Round about this. She’d been worried sick since they lost their hearing, she trusts the General not to have Halo decommissioned, but it was in her nature as their batchmate to worry over them.   
Carefully putting the case that the hearing aids belong in, into their pocket, Halo stood and left the barracks. They headed immediately to where they usually could find Wolffe, a wide smile still splitting their face. They passed vode on the way who all seemed happy for them and gave varying degrees of greetings in sign language. It made their heart swell at the reception from their vode since their injuries. 

Careful to approach Wolffe on his good side, Halo bumped shoulders with their ori’vod. 

“Thanks for helping the General with painting these,” They said and gestured to the hearing aids,” It’s a bit overwhelming but its amazing that I can hear.” 

“Of course,” Wolffe grumbled good-naturedly after being jostled,” The General got them custom made for you, and is helping us all learn sign language. He cares, ya know?” 

“Yeah. He also used the sign for the animal wolf instead of signing your name, I thought that was pretty funny.” Halo teased. 

Rolling his good eye, Wolffe elbowed the younger clone,” Shut it, we’re all still learning.” 

“Mhm…”

“Be lucky you’re still on med leave or I would throw you into the dirt, vod’ika.” 

Halo laughed and leaned up against him, as the pair watched Sinker and Boost argue over a datapad in the distance. 

Things would be ok.

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a Translations:
> 
> Vod- sibling  
> Vode- siblings  
> Kih'vod- little sibling  
> Ori'vod- older sibling  
> Vod'ika- fond sibling


End file.
